History of the graphical user interface
Okay, kiddo, let's start with what a graphical user interface (GUI) is. You know how you use your iPad or phone, and you can touch the icons and pictures to open apps or games? That's kind of what a GUI is - it's a way to use a computer by seeing pictures and clicking on them instead of typing words into a black screen.
Now, a long time ago, computers looked very different from what we use today. They were mainly used by scientists and engineers, and they used something called a command line interface (CLI) to talk to the computer. This means they had to type out commands and programs, and the computer would just show them text in response.
In the 1970s, a man named Alan Kay thought that computers could be used by everyone, not just scientists and engineers. He started thinking about how to make a computer easier to use, and he came up with the idea of a GUI. He thought that if we could see pictures and use a mouse to click on them, it would be much easier for people to use computers.
So, Kay created a program called Smalltalk, which was the first GUI. It had windows, icons, and a mouse to click on things, just like we use today. Unfortunately, Smalltalk was only used by a few people because it was very expensive and ran on a special computer.
But, Kay's ideas caught on, and other people started working on making GUIs too. In 1981, Xerox PARC (a research center) came up with a GUI called the Xerox Star. It was the first GUI that was used commercially, meaning people could buy it and use it on their own computers. It had many of the features we use today, like using a mouse to drag and drop files, and having different windows on the screen.
After the Xerox Star, companies like Apple and Microsoft started making their own GUIs. Apple came out with the Macintosh in 1984, which had a desktop with icons, menus, and a trash can to throw away files. Microsoft made Windows, which was similar to the Macintosh, but took a while to catch on.
Today, almost all computers use a GUI, and we can thank people like Alan Kay and Xerox PARC for making them so easy to use. So, the next time you use your iPad or computer, remember that it wasn't always as easy as clicking on pictures!
Now, a long time ago, computers looked very different from what we use today. They were mainly used by scientists and engineers, and they used something called a command line interface (CLI) to talk to the computer. This means they had to type out commands and programs, and the computer would just show them text in response.
In the 1970s, a man named Alan Kay thought that computers could be used by everyone, not just scientists and engineers. He started thinking about how to make a computer easier to use, and he came up with the idea of a GUI. He thought that if we could see pictures and use a mouse to click on them, it would be much easier for people to use computers.
So, Kay created a program called Smalltalk, which was the first GUI. It had windows, icons, and a mouse to click on things, just like we use today. Unfortunately, Smalltalk was only used by a few people because it was very expensive and ran on a special computer.
But, Kay's ideas caught on, and other people started working on making GUIs too. In 1981, Xerox PARC (a research center) came up with a GUI called the Xerox Star. It was the first GUI that was used commercially, meaning people could buy it and use it on their own computers. It had many of the features we use today, like using a mouse to drag and drop files, and having different windows on the screen.
After the Xerox Star, companies like Apple and Microsoft started making their own GUIs. Apple came out with the Macintosh in 1984, which had a desktop with icons, menus, and a trash can to throw away files. Microsoft made Windows, which was similar to the Macintosh, but took a while to catch on.
Today, almost all computers use a GUI, and we can thank people like Alan Kay and Xerox PARC for making them so easy to use. So, the next time you use your iPad or computer, remember that it wasn't always as easy as clicking on pictures!
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